Felon Sentenced To Prison For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm (DOJ)

LAS VEGAS - A felon was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon to 42 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a semiautomatic pistol.

According to court documents, on December 17, 2021, Ricardo Heriberto Miranda, also known as "Pee-Wee," was released from the Southern Nevada Detention Center to begin a new term of supervised release in a separate case. He did not report to the United States Probation Office.

On December 29, 2023, Miranda and another person were in a stolen car that collided at a high speed with two parked vehicles. After the collision, Miranda placed a loaded 9x19mm semiautomatic pistol in his pocket and walked to a nearby residence. He then placed the pistol inside a wheel well of a pickup truck parked at the residence. Miranda and the other person left the scene of the collision. The pistol had been stolen from a licensed firearms dealer in Las Vegas.

Miranda has prior felony convictions for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute a controlled substance in the District of Wyoming, and attempt possession of stolen vehicle in Clark County, Nevada.

Miranda pleaded guilty to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge John Wester, San Francisco Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dan Cowhig prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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